Case Law[2022] ZAGPJHC 346South Africa
Maqubela and Another v Master of the Gauteng Local Division Johannesburg and Others (2018/40955) [2022] ZAGPJHC 346; 2022 (6) SA 408 (GJ) (19 May 2022)
High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)
19 May 2022
Headnotes
Summary
Judgment
begin wrapper
begin container
begin header
begin slogan-floater
end slogan-floater
- About SAFLII
About SAFLII
- Databases
Databases
- Search
Search
- Terms of Use
Terms of Use
- RSS Feeds
RSS Feeds
end header
begin main
begin center
# South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
You are here:
SAFLII
>>
Databases
>>
South Africa: South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg
>>
2022
>>
[2022] ZAGPJHC 346
|
Noteup
|
LawCite
sino index
## Maqubela and Another v Master of the Gauteng Local Division Johannesburg and Others (2018/40955) [2022] ZAGPJHC 346; 2022 (6) SA 408 (GJ) (19 May 2022)
Maqubela and Another v Master of the Gauteng Local Division Johannesburg and Others (2018/40955) [2022] ZAGPJHC 346; 2022 (6) SA 408 (GJ) (19 May 2022)
Download original files
PDF format
RTF format
make_database: source=/home/saflii//raw/ZAGPJHC/Data/2022_346.html
sino date 19 May 2022
IN
THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA,
GAUTENG
DIVISION, JOHANNESBURG
CASE
NO: 2018/40955
REPORTABLE:
YES
OF
INTEREST TO OTHER JUDGES: YES
19/05/2022
In
the matter between –
MAQUBELA,
DUMA
FIRST APPLICANT
SINGAPHI,
PATIWE
SECOND APPLICANT
AND
THE
MASTER OF THE GAUTENG LOCAL DIVISION,
JOHANNESBURG
FIRST RESPONDENT
VAN
HEERDEN, BAREND,
nomine officio
SECOND RESPONDENT
MAQUBELA,
THANDI SHERYL
THIRD RESPONDENT
MAQUBELA,
ATHENKOSI
FOURTH RESPONDENT
MAQUBELA,
NCANE SKHETHUCWAKA
FIFTH RESPONDENT
JUDGMENT
MOORCROFT
AJ:
Summary
Community
of property comes to an end when a marriage is terminated by death or
divorce.
The proceeds of life policies do not exist or fall
into the joint estate of an insured married in community during his
lifetime.
The rights in respect of the death benefits arise after
death and by that time there is no joint estate. The proceeds fall
into
his separate estate.
A
person married in community of property does not become entitled to
share in the proceeds of a life policy because of an insurable
interest, and on the facts of the case no such insurable interest as
relied upon by the third respondent can be identified.
The
rule in Hollington v F Hewthorn & Company Ltd
[1943] KB 587
(CA) in terms of which a conviction in a criminal court is not
admissible in subsequent civil proceedings as evidence that the
accused committed the offence of which her or she was convicted was
abolished in its country of origin 56 years ago, yet still
forms part
of the law of evidence in South Africa.
The
Court is bound by section 42 of the Civil Proceedings Act, 25 of 1965
as interpreted in case law, to apply the rule but the
desirability of
retaining the rule deserves consideration.
Order
[1]
In this matter I make the following order:
1.
The applicants’ failure to launch the application within
a period of thirty days from the date of the decision by the first
respondent that form the subject of the application, is condoned;
2.
The third respondent’s application for a postponement is
dismissed;
3.
The third respondent’s strike out application is
dismissed with costs;
4.
The decision of the first respondent dated 23 August 2018 and
annexed to the founding affidavit in the application in which the
first respondent refused to sustain the applicants’ objection
lodged in terms of
section 37
of the
Administration of Estates Act,
66 of 1965
is reviewed and set aside;
5.
It is declared that he proceeds of Liberty Life Policy No.
Policy 561 102 7785 00 shall be excluded from and does
not form part of the assets of the joint estate of the Late Patrick
Ntobeko Maqubela and Sheryl Thandi Maqubela, the third respondent;
6.
It is directed that the proceeds of Liberty Life Policy No.
Policy 561 102 7785 00 shall be distributed in terms
of the
Intestate Succession Act, 51 of 1987
;
7.
The application for an order that the third respondent be
declared unworthy to inherit in terms of the
Intestate Succession Act
is
dismissed;
8.
No order is made as to costs in respect of the application for
an order that the third respondent be declared unworthy to inherit;
9.
The remaining costs of the application (including the costs of
the application for postponement, the condonation application, and
the costs of the strike out application) shall be paid by the third
respondent on the scale as between attorney and client.”
[2]
The reasons for the order follow below.
Introduction
[3]
The applicants are children of the late Patrick Ntobeko Maqubela.
They
seek to have reviewed and set aside a decision by the Master of
High Court, cited as the first respondent, made on 23 August 2018
in
which the Master refused to sustain their objection lodged in terms
of
section 37
of the
Administration of Estates Act, 66 of 1965
, and
an order declaring that the proceeds of a life policy shall not form
part of the joint estate between their later father and
his wife, the
third respondent, as well as an order that the third respondent be
declared unworthy of inheriting from the deceased
estate of their
late father. Their application was out of time and they seek
condonation in this respect.
[4]
The second respondent is the Executor of the deceased estate and the
fourth
and fifth respondents are daughters born of the marriage
between the deceased and the third respondent.
[5]
The third respondent is the only respondent opposing the relief
sought.
[6]
The third respondent brought an application for the striking out of
certain
paragraphs of the founding and the replying affidavits and
also applied for the postponement of the matter.
[7]
The application for a postponement was dealt with and disposed of
first
on 4 May 2022. The condonation application, the strike out
application and the merits were then argued, and judgment was
reserved.
Application
for postponement
[8]
On 20 April 2022 the third respondent’s attorney’s wrote
to
the Deputy Judge President in response to a notice of set-down
served on 8 April 2022. The third respondent requested a postponement
of the application on the basis that neither senior nor junior
counsel briefed in the matter were available on the designated date,
being 3 May 2022. On 21 April 2021 the Deputy Judge President
responded in writing and
inter alia
informed the third
respondent’s attorneys that postponements should be dealt with
on application.
[9]
The third respondent then launched an application for postponement
that
was served on 3 May 2022, the day of the set – down and
the day before the date allocated in the motion court.. The
application
was made on the basis that a new document, namely “
DM1
– Signed Liquid
(sic)
and Distribution Account dated 7
June 2009”
had been filed by the applicants on 29 April
2022.
[10]
The
document was however not new. An unsigned copy is to be found as
annexure “DM1” to the founding affidavit. The applicants’
attorneys thought it wise to file an otherwise identical, but signed
copy on 29 April 2022 but
[1]
filing the signed copy did not in any way prejudice the third
respondent and no basis was suggested in argument as to why the
signed version would require discussions “
at
length”
with legal advisors or that the third respondent was caught by
surprise and could not prepare properly on account of having access
only to the unsigned copy annexed to the founding affidavit.
[2]
The document itself was never in dispute.
[11]
There was no merit in the application for a postponement. The
application for a postponement
was dismissed and the condonation
application, the merits and the striking out application were then
argued.
Condonation
application
[12]
Section
35(10)
of the
Administration of Estates Act provides
that a review
application under the section must be brought within 30 days or
within such longer period as the Court may allow.
[3]
The Master’s decision was made on 23 August 2018 and the
court application was launched on 2 November 2018, about 5
weeks out
of time.
[13]
The applicants’ explain that they initially assumed that the
decision of the Master
was intended for the Executor. They then
sought legal advice from a friend and requested the Master to furnish
reasons. Towards
the end of September 2018 they approached an
attorney. A consultation was held with attorneys and counsel early in
October 2018.
There were documents to be obtained from the Executor
and this was done by the end of October 2018. Counsel prepared papers
and
the application was launched early in November 2018. The
applicants always actively pursued the matter and were not dilatory.
[14]
The third respondent in opposing the condonation application states
that she is prejudiced
by the delay. This is a bald and
unsubstantiated statement.
[15]
The
application for condonation must be evaluated against interest of
justice
principles. In my view the
nature
of the relief sought, the extent and the reason for the delay,
its effect, and the reasonableness of the explanation
for the
delay, the importance of the issue raised, and the merits of the
application require condonation to be granted,
[4]
and I so order.
Striking
out application
[16]
The third
respondent brought an application that certain paragraphs
[5]
of the founding affidavit and of the replying affidavit
[6]
be struck out
[7]
on the grounds
that they are scandalous and vexatious.
[17]
The allegations sought to be struck relate to allegations that are
central the applicants’
case, and are relevant. The averments
relate to the following aspects of the applicants’ case:
17.1
The alleged forgery of the will and fraudulently presenting the will
as the
will of the deceased, a crime that the third respondent was
convicted of.
17.2
the allegation that she was in the deceased’s apartment after
his death,
and an inference to be drawn that she knew about his death
but concealed it.
17.3
The
allegation that she had denied that the second applicant was a child
of the deceased, an allegation made expressly by her attorneys.
[8]
17.4
The alleged use of the deceased’s cell phone when he was
already dead.
[18]
The
remedy is a discretionary one
[9]
and the central question is the one of prejudice. I find that the
allegations are neither scandalous nor vexatious in the context
of
the litigation, and that the third respondent was not prejudiced by
the allegations made. I conclude that the striking out application
stands to be dismissed.
The
review application
[19]
At the time of his death the deceased and the third respondent were
married in community
of property.
[20]
He took out a policy on his life and initially determined that upon
his death the proceeds
should be distributed in terms of his will. He
subsequently changed him mind and nominated his estate as beneficiary
of the policy.
He was versed in law; he was a practising attorney and
at the time of his death an acting Judge of the High Court.
[21]
The
Executor of the deceased estate drew the Liquidation and Distribution
account on the basis that the proceeds of the policy fell
into the
deceased’s estate and not the joint estate. In a
certificate
[10]
annexed to the
account the Executor recorded that the policy was excluded from the
joint estate. It had no surrender value at the
time of death and the
death benefit only became payable after death. The Executor also
referred to case law in support of his decision,
including the
Danielz
case quoted below.
[22]
The Master
of the High Court upheld the third respondent’s objection to
the formulation of the account and directed the Executor
to reflect
the policy as an asset in the estate.
[11]
[23]
The
Executor complied and produced an amended account reflecting the
third respondent as being entitled to one-half of the proceeds
of the
policy by virtue of the marriage in community of property.
[12]
[24]
The present
applicants lodged an objection
[13]
in terms of
section 35(7)
of the
Administration of Estates Act in
September 2016 and this objection was overruled
[14]
in August 2018.
[15]
The
applicants requested reasons
[16]
for the decision and the Master responded
[17]
that
“
the surviving
spouse is not automatically excluded from inheriting from the estate
her half share in terms of marriage in community
of property unless
there is Declaratory order to that effect.”
[25]
The applicants were not satisfied with the decision and approached
this Court for an order
to set aside the decision of the Master in
terms of
section 35(10)
of the
Administration of Estates Act. The
section reads as follows:
“
35 (10) Any
person aggrieved by any such direction of the Master or by a refusal
of the Master to sustain an objection so lodged,
may apply by motion
to the Court within thirty days after the date of such direction or
refusal or within such further period as
the Court may allow, for an
order to set aside the Master's decision and the Court may make such
order as it may think fit.”
[26]
The crisp question that arises is whether the proceeds of the life
policy form part of
the joint estate.
[27]
Community
of property comes to an end when a marriage is terminated.
[18]
The death of a spouse terminates a marriage in community of property
and thus terminates the consequences of marriage.
[19]
In
Danielz
NO v De Wet
[20]
,
Traverso AJP confirmed that prior to death the proceeds of a life
policy do not yet exist and do not form part of the joint estate:
“
[41]
Prior to the death of the deceased, the proceeds of the policies did
not exist or fall into the joint estate. Until the death
of the
deceased, there was no certainty that a claim would be made at the
time of his death. He could, for example, have surrendered
the
policies on the day before his death.
[42]
Upon his death the joint estate terminated. This occurs ex
lege. (See Grimbeek v The Master
1926 CPD 183
at
185; Joseph v Joseph
1951
(3) SA 776
(N)
at
779G – H; Hahlo Husband and Wife 5 ed at 174 –
6.)
[43]
It is only after the death of the deceased that the rights in respect
of the death benefits arise. The joint estate will
therefore not
have a claim to an asset that arose after the joint estate had been
terminated by the death of the deceased.”
[21]
[28]
In making the decision, the Master-
28.1
failed to distinguish between a surviving’s spouse’s
entitlement to one-half of the joint estate and a right to inherit,
28.2
assumed that the proceeds of the policy formed part
of the joint
estate;
28.3
failed to have regard to the legal principles and the
case law;
28.4
committed a material error of law; and
28.5
made a decision that was not rational.
[29]
In conclusion, the proceeds of the policy never formed part of the
joint estate and the
third respondent never became entitled to
one-half of the proceeds by virtue of the marriage in community of
property.
[30]
The third respondent contends that her claim under the life policy
does not hinge on the
proceeds of the policy falling in the joint
estate. She argues that her marriage to the deceased established an
insurable interest,
and that “
absent an insurable interest
no beneficiary of a life policy can validly lay claim to its
proceeds.”
[31]
The case
law relied upon by the third respondent in support of this submission
relate to the concept of insurable interest of an
insured person in
property insured. In
Refrigerated
Trucking (Pty) Ltd v Zive NO (Aegis Insurance Co Ltd, Third
Party),
[22]
Hartzenberg J described insurable interest as follows:
“
It
seems then that in our law of indemnity insurance an insurable
interest is an economic interest which relates to the risk which
a
person runs in respect of a thing which, if damaged or destroyed,
will cause him to suffer an economic loss or, in respect of
an event,
which if it happens will likewise cause him to suffer an
economic loss. It does not matter whether he personally
has rights in
respect of that article, or whether the event happens to him
personally, or whether the rights are those of someone
to whom he
stands in such a relationship that, despite the fact that he has no
personal right in respect of the article, or that
the event does not
affect him personally, he will nevertheless be worse off if the
object is damaged or destroyed, or the
event happens
”
[32]
A person taking out short term insurance on property must have an
insurable interest in
the insured property. Insurable interest is
evaluated from the perspective of the insured person and its interest
in property.
In the present matter a life policy was taken out by the
deceased on his own life.
[33]
It is simply not true, as the third respondent now argues, that
“
absent the requirement of insurable interest in life
assurance contracts, any stranger could lay claim to the proceeds of
a life
policy on the life of a total stranger.”
[34]
The right to lay claim to the proceeds of a policy arises from
nomination as a beneficiary
or the law of succession.
[35]
In conclusion, the Master’s decision is irrational and must be
set aside.
Unworthiness
to inherit
[36]
When a
person dies intestate and is survived by one or more descendants
and by a spouse, the spouse shall inherit a child’s
share but
shall inherit at least a share in the value of an amount fixed from
time to time by the Minister of Justice by notice
in the Government
Gazette.
[23]
[37]
The third respondent as the widow of the deceased who died intestate
would accordingly
be entitled to inherit a child’s share or the
prescribed minimum amount, unless she be declared unworthy of
inheriting.
[38]
Public
policy requires that someone who has sought to defraud by forging a
will should be regarded as unworthy of succeeding to
the estate of
the person whose will had been forged.
[24]
[39]
The third respondent was convicted of forgery and fraud arising out
of the falsification
of the deceased’s purported will and for
misrepresenting to the Master that the will was that of the deceased.
She was also
convicted of the murder of the deceased but that
conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
[40]
The conviction for forgery and fraud was not appealed and the third
respondent served a
prison sentence. The conviction is common cause
and the third respondent says that the decision not to appeal was a
tactical decision
taken on legal advice at the time.
[41]
In support of the averment that the third respondent is unworthy, the
applicants rely on
the following evidence set out in the founding
affidavit:
41.1
It is alleged that the third respondent lodged a purported will with
the Master even though she
knew that it was false, and that she had
forged the deceased’s signature or caused it to be forged.
41.2
The third respondent also objected to a distribution to the second
applicant on the basis that
the second applicant was not a child of
the deceased, even though she knew her objection to be untrue.
41.3
The third respondent concealed the death of the deceased for two days
before his body was discovered
on 8 June 2009.
41.4
The evidence was that the deceased never left his apartment in Cape
Town on 3 to 5 June 2009,
and did not report for duty on the 5
th
.
41.5
When giving evidence in the criminal trial the third respondent
testified that on 5 June 2009
she was in the apartment where the
deceased’s body was later found and the inference was that she
knew he had died but concealed
this fact.
41.6
On 5 June 2009 a telephone call was made from the deceased’s
cell phone to inform his secretary
that he had been admitted to
hospital. He was however never in hospital.
41.7
Between 5 and 9 June 2009 the deceased’s cell phone was always
in close proximity to the
third respondent’s cell phone.
41.8
The third respondent took the deceased’s cell phone with her to
the Eastern Cape when he
was already dead, and used it to send
messages purportedly emanating from him.
41.9
When friends of his arrived at the apartment where he lived and
wanted to enter the apartment,
the third respondent advised
telephonically that the deceased had been loc
ated
so as to discourage the friends from entering the apartment where his
dead body was.
[42]
The
first applicant gave this affidavit evidence on the basis that he was
a witness in the criminal trial and observed the whole
of the
proceedings. He does not say which part of his evidence is based on
personal knowledge of the facts, and which is based
on what other
witnesses
[25]
testified in
court.
[43]
The answering affidavit is not at all helpful.
It suffers from the shortcoming that none of the averments made by
the deponent to
the founding are pertinently addressed.. The
applicants’ averments are met by a bald denial and a striking
out application.
[44]
The
crucial evidence is the submission of the allegedly forged will to
the Master. It is common cause that the Master rejected this
will and
that it was submitted to the Master by the agents of the third
respondent.
[26]
The third
respondent admits that the deceased died intestate
[27]
but denies that the signature of the deceased was a forged signature,
and denies that she committed a fraud or forgery.
[45]
In the criminal trial the presiding Judge indeed found that the will
was a forgery and
convicted the third respondent of fraud. The
criminal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt was satisfied.
The question
that arises is whether this court can take cognisance of
the conviction.
[46]
Section 42
of the Civil Proceedings Evidence Act, 25 of 1965 provides that the
law of evidence in force in respect of civil proceedings
on 30 May
1961, shall apply in any case not provided for by the Act or any
other law. The law that was in force on that day, the
day before
South Africa became a Republic, was the English law of evidence. One
of the rules so entrenched in the law of England
was the so-called
rule in
Hollington v
F Hewthorn & Company Ltd
[28]
in
terms of which a conviction in a criminal court is not admissible in
subsequent civil proceedings as evidence that the accused
committed
the offence of which her or she was convicted. The conviction is
merely the irrelevant opinion of another court.
[47]
The
justification for the rule on the basis that it is merely an
irrelevant opinion of another court is, with respect, flawed. A
conviction forms part of a judgement by one or more Judges versed in
law and experienced in evaluating evidence and the judgement
is
subject to an appeal process. Hoffman and Zeffertt in their 4
th
edition justifiably described the rule as “
almost
unbelievable.”
[29]
[48]
The
rule was abolished in England in 1968
[30]
where a conviction in a criminal court is now seen as evidence but
not as conclusive proof of a fact. The party is “
taken
to have committed the offence unless the contrary is proved.”
[31]
[49]
Despite
criticism
[32]
the rule is
still part of our law.
[33]
In
Institute
for Accountability in Southern Africa v Public Protector,
[34]
Coppin J (as he then was) said that the rule
is wrong and must be applied restrictively:
“
Rather
than breathing further life into the erroneous rule
in Hollington through yet another application, or
extension,
a compelling case has been made out for its strict
containment, and its abolition (or more appropriately, extirpation)
for being
wrong, as has occurred elsewhere.”
[50]
I share all these reservations about the rule. This present matter
however falls squarely
within the ambit of the rule and I consider
myself bound by the interpretation of the rule in the case law quoted
above.
[51]
Schmidt and
Rademeyer
[35]
are of the view that
section 3
of the
Law of Evidence Amendment Act,
45 of 1988
satisfactorily addresses the problems that arise because
of
Hollington
.
The record of the evidence in the criminal trial may be placed before
the Court in terms of
section 34
of the
Superior Courts Act, 10 of
2013
or in terms of section 17 of the Civil Procedure Evidence Act,
and application may be made for the record to be admitted as hearsay.
This is however not a complete answer as the decision of the trial
Judge will still be opinion and will not constitute
prima
facie
evidence of wrongdoing.
[52]
It matters not that in the present matter the first applicant
attended the trial and observed
all the evidence led. If the
presiding Judge’s finding of guilt in the criminal court is not
evidence that the crime was
committed, the evidence of a lay person
who observed those proceedings can hardly change the position.
[53]
Because I am bound by
Hollington
I conclude that I may take no
cognisance of the conviction even though it is common cause. The
evidence presented by the applicant
does not prove the offence that
the third respondent was convicted of and the application for her to
be declared an unworthy witness
cannot succeed.
Costs
[54]
In my view it is the
Hollington
rule that stands in the way of
the applicants in respect of the prayer relating to her unworthiness
to inherit. I dismiss the application
for an order declaring her
unworthy but make no order as to costs.
[55]
In the review application the third respondent expressly distanced
herself from the position
that the proceeds of the life policy fall
within the joint estate – an unarguable position given the case
law and the academic
writings – but then relied on insurable
interest as a ground for opposition to the review and upholding the
Master’s
decision. There is no merit in the argument. It is
frivolous.
[56]
The third respondent also brought an application for a postponement
served on the day the
application was set down for, being the day
before oral argument, on equally frivolous terms.
[57]
Instead of addressing the substance of the application the third
respondent applied for
portions of the founding and replying
affidavit to be struck. She opposed the application for condonation
and claimed prejudice,
but without outlining such prejudice.
[58]
For these reasons I believe an punitive cost order is justified.
Conclusion
[59]
For all these reasons I made the order quoted in paragraph 1 above.
J
MOORCROFT
ACTING
JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA
GAUTENG
DIVISION
JOHANNESBURG
Electronically
submitted
Delivered:
This judgement was prepared and authored by the Acting Judge whose
name is reflected and is handed down electronically
by circulation to
the Parties / their legal representatives by email and by uploading
it to the electronic file of this matter
on CaseLines. The date of
the judgment is deemed to be
19 MAY 2022
.
COUNSEL
FOR THE APPLICANT: L
J MORISON SC
G
NGCANGISA
INSTRUCTED
BY:
NINGIZA HORNER INC
COUNSEL
FOR 3
rd
RESPONDENT: T
S SIDAKI
(head of argument by
V NGALWANA SC & T S
SIDAKI)
INSTRUCTED
BY: DE
KLERK & VAN GEND
DATE
OF THE HEARING: 4
MAY 2022
DATE
OF JUDGMENT:
19 MAY 2022
[1]
The two “DM1” documents can be seen
on CaseLines, 001-36 and 080-4.
[2]
There was also an earlier copy dated 9 May 2015
that was made available in terms of Rule 35(12) of the Uniform
Rules.
[3]
Condonation may be sought before or after the
expiry of the period of thirty days. See
Reed
v Master of the High Court of SA
[2005] 2 All SA 429
(E) paras 32 and 33.
[4]
See
Grootboom
v National Prosecuting Authority
2014
(2) SA 68
(CC)
para 20
et
seq
.
[5]
Paras 14, 15, 17, part of 19, 44.1, 44.2, part of
46, 47 to 53, part of 55.3, part of 55.5, 55.7. 55.8, part
of 55.11,
55.14, and 56.
[6]
Paras 9 to 11, part of 15.3, 37.1.1 and 37.1.2
(with introduction in 37.1), 37.3.5 to 37.3.9, part of 41.1,
part of
41.2, part of 42, and 44.2.
[7]
See Rule 6(15) of the Uniform Rules.
[8]
Annexure “DM8” to the founding
affidavit (CaseLines 001-61).
[9]
Stephens
v De Wet
1920
AD 279
at 282
.
[10]
Annexure “DM6” to the founding affidavit
(CaseLines 001-58).
[11]
Annexure “DM7” (CaseLines 001-59).
[12]
Annexure “DM1” (CaseLines 001-36).
[13]
Annexure “DM2” (CaseLines 001-44).
[14]
Annexure “DM3” (CaseLines 001-47).
[15]
In terms of
section 35(9)
of the
Administration of Estates
Act.
[16
]
Annexure “DM4” (CaseLines 001-48).
[17]
Annexure “DM5” (CaseLines 001-49).
[18]
Hay
v Hay
1910 NPD 90
at 91;
Lubbe
v O’Dwyer
1942 WLD 137
at 137; Voet
Commentary
on the Pandects
23.2.90.
[19]
Heaton et al “Marriage”
The
Law of South Africa
2
nd
ed. 2006 para 85.
[20]
2009 (6) SA 42 (C) paras 41 to 43.
[21]
See also
Hees
NO v Southern Life Association Ltd
2000 (1) SA 943 (W) 948B and
Naidoo
v Discovery Life Limited
[2018]
ZASCA 88
paras 11 and 12.
[22]
1996 (2) SA 361
(T) 372F.
[23]
Section 1(1)(c)(i)
of the
Intestate Succession Act, 81 of
1987
.
[24]
Taylor
v Pim
1903
NLR 484
at 492 to 494;
Yassen
v Yassen
1965
(1) SA 438
(N);
Casey
NO v The Master
1992
(4) SA 505
(N) at 510G;
Pillay
v Nagan
2001 (1) SA 410
(D);
Danielz
NO v De Wet
2009 (6) SA 42 (C)
para
37.
[25]
This would be hearsay evidence.
[26]
Paras 46 and 47 of the founding affidavit (CaseLines 001-21)
and paras 71 to 74 of the answering affidavit (CaseLines
009-16 and
009-17).
[27]
In
para 80 of the answering affidavit the concession is made that the
estate of the third respondent’s late husband “
stands
to be dealt with”
as an intestate estate.
[28]
[1943]
KB 587
(CA) ([1943] 2 All ER 35).
[29]
Hoffman and Zeffertt
The
South African Law of Evidence
4
th
ed 1988 p 93.
[30]
Civil Evidence Act of 1968.
[31]
S 11(1) and (2) of the Civil Evidence Act of 1968.
[32]
See Schmidt & Rademeyer
Bewysreg
4
th
ed 2000, p 589.
[33]
Groenewald
NO and Another v Swanepoel
2002
(6) SA 724
(E)
727E
;
Prophet
v National Director of Public Prosecutions
2007
(6) SA 169
(CC) para 42;
Danielz
NO v De Wet
2009 (6) SA 42 (C)
para 18;
Nel
v Law Society, Cape of Good Hope
2010 (6) SA 263
(ECG) para 16;
Lagoon
Beach Hotel (Pty) Ltd v Lehane NO and Others
2016
(3) SA 143
(SCA) para 12;
Institute
for Accountability in Southern Africa v Public Protector
2020 (5) SA 179
(GP) para 25.
[34]
2020 (5) SA 179
(GP) para 30.
[35]
Schmidt & Rademeyer
Bewysreg
4
th
ed 2000, p 590.
sino noindex
make_database footer start
Similar Cases
Maamach (PTY) LTD v Air Traffic Navigation Service SOC LTD (21/11114) [2022] ZAGPJHC 283 (3 May 2022)
[2022] ZAGPJHC 283High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Maphalala v Mazibuko (2020/035020) [2022] ZAGPJHC 926 (21 November 2022)
[2022] ZAGPJHC 926High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Qabaka and Others v South African Women In Mining Association and Others (37505/2019) [2023] ZAGPJHC 1105 (6 April 2023)
[2023] ZAGPJHC 1105High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Ngqulunga v S (2021/A102) [2022] ZAGPJHC 547 (9 August 2022)
[2022] ZAGPJHC 547High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar
Makhubela v Road Accident Fund (2011/30124) [2025] ZAGPJHC 18 (16 January 2025)
[2025] ZAGPJHC 18High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Johannesburg)99% similar